Mining machine



Aug. ze". 1924; W

H. P. MORGAN INING. MACHINE Filed Jan.v 31 1923 2 Sheds-Sheet. 2

lNEN-rom wfg Patented Aug. 26, 1924.

UNITED STATES;

HESS P. MORGAN,

F LISBON, OI-IIO.

MINING MACHINE.

Application ledy January 31, 1923. Serial No. 616,039.

To QZZ; 20710922, t may concern.:

it known that l, Hnss P. lvloncniv, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Lisbon, in the county of Columbiana and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Min-ing Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to mining machines, and particularly to the type adapted to cut kei-fs during the mining of coal or similar materials.

It is an object of the invention to provide a device which is simple, compact, strong and durable, which is self-contained so as toy be easily transported from place to place, which can be manufactured at a nominal cost, which will not easily get out of order, and which will function eiiiciently for the purpose intended.

It is, a special object to provide a device which is sufficiently light in .veight to permit its being bodily carried b-y a workman, and one in which the dri-ving gearing and cuttings parts are arranged to produce a nar-row elongated structure permitting the same to. be effectively employedv under crowded circumstances and with narrow veins of coal without necessitating the removal of large quantities of the super-posed and subjacent earth-strata.

lt is a further special object to provide a construction in which the cutting elements are in the nature of rotary circular disks or saws so positioned as to produce spaced lines of cuts and in which the cutting el ments are arranged in alignment on both sides of the casing and spaced closely thereto, at least one side of the casing througl cut its entire extent being unobstructed and 'lat whereby to enable lrerfs to be cut in planes corresponding to the ceiling and floor lines as well as the eXtreme border lines of the vertical sides of the so called roora It is still a further special object to provide a device of the character referred to which is self-cleaning, that is, one capable of automatically removing the material from between the spaceintermediate the cutting disks during the cutting operation,

5" and in which the means employed for effecting such result is effectively guided and housed.

These and other objects of the invention will more fully appear when taken in conjunction with the following description and the appended claims.

in the accompanying` darwings, Fig, l is a transverse sectional view takenv on the line lof Fig, 2; Fig. 2 a vertical section taken on the line H-H of Fig. l; Fig,l 3 a top plan view, on reduced scale, of a modified form of the invention which is adapted to be.- fed manually by the operator; Fig. 4- a fragmentary horizontal. sectional view illustratingthe method of using the invention; Fig. 5 a fragmentary View of the parts illustrated in Fig. t taken in a plane at rightI angles` to the said figure and substantially on the line x7-V of Fig. d; and Fig. G an alevational view illustrating in detail the supporting guide block employed in conjunction with they feed shaft, and the manner in which the lugs on the guide block cooperate with the marginal edges of the top and bottom walls of the casing.

The casingof the machine comprises a bottomI side 1, a top side 2, and an intermediate verticall wall bridging the space between the saidy top and bottom sides. Adjacent the forward Aor left hand end of the casing, as viewed in Figs l to 3, the vertical wall 3 is located a slight distance within the margins of the top and bottom sides as clearly sho-.wn in Fig. 1, so as to provide a channel for receiving a cleaner chain to be. presently describd, the vertical wall 3 being itself offset at its., central portion intermediate its topy and bottom edges to form the guiding groove 4. The portions of the vertical wall which are provided with the guiding groove terminate at the points indicated at 5, 5'., the remainino' space at the rear of the casingbetween its top and bottom beingclosed by the portions 6, 6 and th" end closure block 7.

The bottom, side l, as viewed in Fig. 2, is dat and unobstructed throughout its entire extent so as to. provide a casing which is in the form of a plane at one side, while the top wall 2 iscifset at an intermediate point Sto form an enlarged portion adjacent its rear in order to effectively house thev driving motor and the gearing for actuating the feed screw.

Both the top and bottom sides of the casing are provided at suitably spaced intervals with a plurality of bearing apertures with which cooperate a series of fixed apertured bearing disks such as indicated at 9 and 10, the series associated with the top 2 being indicated by the reference numeral 9 while those associated with the bottom 1 being indicated by the numeral 10. Suitably journalled in the top and bottom sides and the bearing disks 9 and` 10 are a plurality of shafts 11, 11, 11, 12, 12 12, 13 and 14a. rIhe shafts 11, 11', 11 project slightly above and below the top and bottom sides and have attached at their extremities the circular cutting disks 13, 13, 13, 14, 14 14, the disks 13, 13, 13 being lof cated adjacent the top 2, while the disks 14, 14', 14 are similarly disposed with relation to the bottom 1, each of these-sets of cutting disks having their several units arranged in alignment and with their peripheries in close proximity to each other. rlhe shafts 12 and 12 are located intermediate the shafts carrying the cutting disks and have their extremities terminating flush with the top and bottom sides, while the shaft 12 similarly mounted forms one end of a train of gearing housed within the narrow elongated front end of the casing in advance of the enlarged portion o-f the casing formed rearwardly of the offset 8. Each of the shafts carrying the cutting disks is provided intermediate the bearing disks 9 and with a gear 15 while the shafts 12, 12', 12 are likewise provided with a gear 16, the entire set of gears 15, 16, being in mesh, as clearly indicat^d in Figs. 1 and 2.

rlhe shaft 13aM has fixed thereto two gears 17 and 18, the latter meshing with the gear 16 of shaft 12, while the gear 17 meshes with a gear 19 fixed upon the upper portion of shaft 14a. Shaft 14a has also affixed thereto a sprocket wheel 20 and a bevel pinion 21. The pinion 21 cooperates with a second bevel pinion 22 attached to the inner end of the shaft of a feed screw 23 which is suitably supported and ournalled in a bearing sleeve 24 and a bearing 25 provided. in the end closure 7. rllhe bearing sleeve 24 is formed at the central portion of a brace 26 ybridging the space between the portions 6,

6, of the vertical wall of the casing and attached thereto in any suitable way as by bolting, as indicated at 27, 27. The gear 19 is adapted to mesh with a driving pinion 23 fixed to the end of the armature shaft of the driving motor 29 which is suitably suspended in operative position by means of a bracket 30 attached to the interior of a cup shaped cover 31 attached to the top of the casing for closing the opening 32 provided therein and through which the shaft of the motor extends.

The peripheries of the cutting disks are serrated as illustrated atv 33 forming teeth throughout their entire extent, and are thus in the nature of rotary circular saws. The cutting disks 13 and 14, located at the extreme forward end of the casing, project slightly beyond the end thereof as shown in' Figs. 1 and 2, the extremities of the top and bottom walls being in the form of a curve whose center corresponds to that of the said disks, that is, with the shaft 11. rThe diameters of the cutting disks are greater than the width of the forward end of the casing in advance of the offset 3 so as to permit the peripheries of the disk to extend slightly beyond the margins of the top and bottom sides. Mounted within the channel formed between the margins of the top and bottom sides and the vertical wall 3, and guided v.within the groove 4, is an endless cleanerthe margins of the casing but terminating;V

short of the teeth of the cutting disks. These lugs serve a double purpose, first breaking away the material between the lines of cut produced by the disks 13 and 14, and. also removing the broken material in an obvious manner.

The cutting disks as well as the feed shaft 23 are driven from the motor 29 in an obvious manner, the motor shown being an electric motor controlled by a shiftable switch indicated at 36 positioned within easy reach of the operator. Although an electric motor has been illustrated as the power source, it is obvious that power may be applied through any other suitable source, under some conditions it being preferable to employ some sort of gearing through which power may be applied manually by the operator. It is lll() also obvious that under some circumstances Y it might be desirable to dispense with the feed screw shaft 23, in which event the disks are maintained in'cutting relation under pressure from the body of the operator. A construction adapted for such use is illustrated in Fig. 3, and corresponds tothat of Figs. 1 and 2 with 'the exception that the feed screw 23 has been omitted and the closure block 7 is suitably shaped to provide hand grips 37, 37 and a hollowed out portion 33 therebetween, these grips `being' grasped by the operator who presses his chest against the hollowed out portion 38 in order to force the cutting disks into the material being cut during the operation of the device'.

Inv order to suitably suspend the cutting apparatus in operative position during actual use, the room 40, Figs. 4 and 5, is usually equipped with a plurality of vertical standards 41, 42, 43 and 44, commonly disposed in the positions illustrated in said Lil figures. Each of the standards is provided at its upper end with a screw bolt which is threaded within the body of the standard so that upon turning movement thereof the same will be projected forcibly against the ceiling of the room7 to securely hold the standard in position, nut 46 being provided to hold the parts in locked position. A horizontal beam 47 is attached to the standards 4l and 42 in any suitable manner as by the clamps a8, e8 of well known construction, while a similar beam 49 bridges the space between and is lil-:cwise attached to the upright standards 43, 4:.: The beams i7 and 49 may be located at any desirable height, the position which they assume when a line of cut is desired to be made in the plane of the floor being designated by the full line showing at the bottom of Fig. 5, while the position which they assume while making a cut 'n a plane of the ceiling line being indicated by the dotted line showing in said ligure.

ln order to support the casing for slid ing movement upon the beam l? a slidable guide block 50 is employed, the body of this block being formed with an aperture corresponding substantially to the cross section of the beam 4:7 through which the beam projects in an obvious manner. The body of the block has formed thereon a pair of spaced lugs 5l, 5l projecting from the opposite ends thereof, and these lugs are turned inwardly at their extremities to form ribs 52, 52 which are adapted to embrace the marginal edges of the side of the casing, as clearly shown in Fig. 5. This guide block 50 is adapted to be used for supporting and guiding the casing either adjacent the ceiling or Hoor of the room Villien 'the line of cut is being made adjacent the door, the lugs 5l, 5l are permitted to project downwardly, in which position the ribs 52, 52 engage the lower surface of the top When' making a line of cut adjacent the ceiling of the room,7 the position of the block upon the beam is reversed so as to per mit the lugs 5l, 51 to project upwardly at which time the casing is supported by con- Vtact of the ribs 52, 52 with the inner surface of the marginal edges of the bottom l.

ln order to feed the cutting machine into operative Contact with the material to be cut. when using a construction provided with the feed shaft 23, a specially formed bl .ck 58 is mounted for sliding movement upon the beam 49 in a manner similar to that just described in connection with the block 50. rihe body of the block 53 is provided at one side with a lug to which is j voted a cap portion 55 adapted to be held into abutting relation with the body of the block by means of the pivoted latch or lock 553 in an obvious manner. Both the body of the block and the cap are provided ih rooperating recessed portions which form the cylindrical openings indicated at 57 and The recesses forming the aperture 58 are provided with internal threads which cooperate with the threaded extremity of the feed shaft 23, while the interior surface of the bore 57 isl smooth. Each of the blocks 50 and 53 may be locked to its supporting beam by means of lock nuts such as indicated at 59 and 60 if desired, and the said blocks are also equipped with the respective apertured lugs Gl, 62. ln order to facilitate the sliding of the machine, after being supported in operative cutting position, transversely of the room upon the supporting beams et?, a9, cables G55 and 6a may be attached to the lugs 6l and (32, respectively, which are in turn attached at their juncture to a cable ('36 adapted to pass through a pulley 6i' suitably anchored, as at G8, to the side of the roonr The form of machine illustrated in Figs. l and 2 is used as follows: The casing is supported. by means of the blocks 50 and in the desired position, and with the flat plane unobstructed bottom lgof the casing lying in the line of the desired cut. rlhe ribs 52, 52 of the block 50 project within the space forming the channel located between the top and bottom sides and support the forward end of the casing for sliding movement in the manner previously described, while the threaded portion of 'the feed shaft 23 is inserted and clamped within the internally threaded recess 58 of the block 53. `With the parts thus positioned, actuation of the motor 29 through the train of gearing causes movement of the circular cutting disks, rotation of the sprocket wheel 2O to drive the cleaner chain 24, and rota tion of the feed shaft Rotation of the feed shaft 23 due to its cooperation with the threaded .recess 5S of the block 53 causes the entire cutting mechanism to be moved forwardly into contact with the material operated upon the same is cut away by the rotary cutting disks. rlhe material is cut along two separated lines corresponding to the sets of cutting disks 13, 13, 13 and lai, llf, let, the material between these lines of cuts being constantly removed by the outwardly projecting lugs 35 on the cleaner chain.

lilhen a kerf is desired to be formed across the entire width of the room, it is euston'iary to .first feed the cutting mechanism to the required depth into the material at one side of the room and then bodily move the cutting machine transversely of the room by sliding the supporting blocks 5t and 53 along the beams a? and t9 by pull ng upon the cable G6. This results in In i producingl a line of cut thereacross.

er to prevent the feeding of the cutting dists deeper into the material during its stituted therefor to an advantage.

movement transversely of the room,7 the placed within the recess or bore 57. DueY to the fact that the internal surface of the bore 5l is smooth, the feed shaft will then be merely supported without causing a forward feeding of the cutting machine into the material operated upon.

ldlhen using the form illustrated in Fig. 3, the forward portion of the casing only need be supported by the block 50, the cutting mechanism being given its forward sliding movement under the weight of the body of the operator communicated through the grips 37, 37 and the hollowed out portion 38, as previously described. Due to the fact that the bottom l of the casing is in the form of a fiat plane surface throughout its entire extent, and the set of cutting disks a-djacent thereto are positioned in close proximity to the said bottom and in alignment with each other, the entire casing atY that side is unobstructed so as to enable it to be positioned to secure the cutting of a hert at the eXtreme upper limits of the room or in planes corresponding to the ceiling and floor thereof, it is also obvious that such construction also permits vertical lines of cuts to be made at the extreme limits of the sides of the roomf7 if desired, in which case suitable supporting devices similar to the blocks 50, 53, or equivalent supporting means, are employed for securing vertical sliding movement upon the upright standards ll to da.

nstead of employing a trainof gearing comprising spur gears, as shown, it has been found under some circumstances where an extremely light structure is imperative, that sprocket wheels and chains may be sub- The preferred construction, however, is the one illustrated and described.

The entire machine is constructed of such proportions that the same may be readily carried bodily by the operator from place to place, and the distance between the sets of cutting disks is such Vas to enable the device to be effectively' used in very crowded circumstances and for the purpose oiV securing the removal of very thin or narrow veins of coal or similar material which would be either inaccessible or uneconomical to mine with many of the mining devices now in use.

lt is thus seen that the invention provides a veryfcompact, sturdy and durable construction, one which may be effectively employed for the purposes noted, one in which all of the driving gearing is housed within the interior of the casing without rendering the same of undue size and cumbersome for its intended use, one which may be easily transported from place to place, and one which may be readily manipulated by means of a single operative.

Vhile the preferred embodiment of theV invention has been illustrated and described, it is apparent that many changes in details of construction may be made without departing from the spiritof the invention, and it is therefore not intended to limit the invention beyond the scope particularly defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

l. A mining machine comprising a casing provided with top and bottom sides and a vertical wall bridging the space therebetween, the vertical wall throughout its portion adjacent one end of the casing being disposed within the margins of the said top and bottom sides to form a guide channel, an endless chain travelling within said channel, a plurality of cutting elements located at opposite sides of the casing and adjacent its top and bottom, and gearing housed within the casing operatively connected with the said cutting elements'and cleaning chain whereby to actuate the salme.

2. A mining machine comprising a casing provided with 'top and bottom sides and a vertical wall bridging the space therebetween, the vertical wall throughout its portion adjacent one end of the casing being disposed within the margins of the said topV and bottom sides to form a guide channel, an endless chain having lugs projecting outwardly beyond the casing travelling within said channel, a plurality of circular cutting disks located at opposite sides of the casing and adjacent its top and bottom, the disks of the sets at either side being arranged in .alignment axially of the casing and having their peripheries in close proximity to each other whereby to adapt the machine for cutting deep kerfs, the diameter yof the disks and their disposition being such as to permit the same to extend outwardly beyond opposite edges of the casing, and

gearing housed within the casing operatively connected with the cleaner chain and disks to actuate the same. Y

3. A. mining machine comprising a casing c provided with top and bottom sides` and a vertical wall'bridging the space therebetween, the vertical wall throughoutits portion adjacent yone end of the casing being disposed within the margins of the said top and bottom sides and provided with a channel intermediate its edges te form a guiding groove, an endless chain travelling within the groove, said chain having a series of outwardly projecting spaced lugs attached thereto, a plurality of circular cutting disks disposed at yopposite sides of the casing` the disks at either side of the casing lying in. a plane parallel to the axis of the casing'and in alignment with eachother whereby to adapt the machine for cutting deep kerfs,

the peripheries of the disks projecting beyond the margins of the casing and the tips of saidlugs, and gearing within the casing operatively connected with the cleaner chain and disks to actuate the same.

4L. A mining machine comprising a casing provided with top and bottom sides and a vertical wall bridging the space therebetween, the vertical wall throughout its portion adjacent one end of the casing being disposed within the margins of the said top and bottom sides and provided with a channel intermediate its edges to form a guiding groove, an endless chain travelling within the groove, said chain having a series of outwardly projecting spaced lugs attached thereto, a plurality of circular cutting disks disposed at opposite sides of the casing lying in planes parallel to the aXis of the casing and in alignment ywith each other whereby to adapt the machine for cutting deep kerfs, portions of the peripheries of the disks projecting beyond the margins of the casing and the tips of said lugs, the bottom of said casing forming a llat unobstructed plane throughout its entire extent, and gearing within the casing operatively connected to the cleaner chain and disks to actuate the same.

In testimony whereof, I sign my name.

HESS P. MORGAN, Witness:

EDWIN 0. JOHNS. 

